PhenoType
The idea for PhenoType came from working on a new technology for Synplant: an algorithm capable of describing Synplant patches using words and tags. At some point, we started thinking: If an algorithm can create descriptions from patches, should it not also be possible to run the process in reverse and create patches from descriptions?
Once this idea was planted, we simply had to try building it.
The interface is very straightforward. Simply type the description of a sound, texture, or instrument, click EXE, and PhenoType will attempt to create something based on your input. Not happy with the result? Click EXE again and give PhenoType another chance.
Naturally, every generated result is a fully editable Synplant patch that you can continue to tweak, mutate, branch, and evolve like any other sound in Synplant.
Tips
The text parser is not a full-blown language model, so it will not understand very complex descriptions, but simple natural English generally works well. For example, don’t expect: a sound that resembles a busy cafe heard from the street outside to produce an accurate result. A description like: a reverb-drenched pad with a slow attack and some modulation works better.
You can also use shorter tag-style input, such as: slow pad modulation reverb
The algorithm works with a few hundred internal tags, along with many synonyms, variations, and common misspellings. It also understands simple inversions such as without reverb or not distorted
If the parser does not understand any of your input, it will generate a random patch. Another way to explore random sounds is to click RND and PhenoType comes up with a prompt for you.
Download & Installation
A Synplant 2 license is required to download.
- Log in to soniccharge.com
- Download
PhenoType 1.0from soniccharge.com/download - Open the
.dmg/.zipfile and run the included installer.
Open Synplant 2 and click the puzzle icon in the upper-right corner to access the scripts menu. Select PhenoType to launch.
PhenoType runs entirely locally inside the JavaScript engine in Synplant 2. No cloud processing and no internet connection required. A Synplant 2 license is required to use it.